Hallowed Be Thy Name
by lovebites123
Summary: A simple one-shot to get over my writer's block. Either friendship or pre-slash, you choose, but it will be marked as both. Could also be read as a prequel to SLTS. Rated T for swearing.


Hallowed Be Thy Name

**I have writer's block! I really want to post a new chapter for SLTS, but I have no ideas. Hopefully this one-shot should help. :) The title comes from the song by Iron Maiden. As usual, I own nothing, all credit goes to JK. I hope I've done well. My Dad works for the police, so let's hope I have. This can either be red as a friendship fic, or as a pre-slash, whatever you wish. :)**

"Silence! We, the Wizengamot, are here on this day, Wednesday 10th June 1998, for the trial of one Draco Lucius Malfoy. Mr Malfoy, you are charged with murder, intent to murder, torture, intent to torture, theft, supporting He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, allowing Death Eaters into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, conspiring to kill one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, aiding and abetting in the murder of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, and being a Death Eater. Do you understand the charges Mr Malfoy?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked.

One thing you should know about me and all Malfoys, is that the name, and the mask, mean everything to us and if all else fails, they will always be there. So when asked if I understood the charges made against me at my trial, I kept my composure, my pride, and kept up the façade. "I do your honour."

"And how do you plead Mr Malfoy?"

What a stupid question. "Not guilty."

"And do you have a reason for your plea?"

"Yes of course."

"What is the reason Mr Malfoy?"

"Prejudice. Prejudice against all Slytherins, because you think us all the same. Prejudice because you think we are all like our fathers, mother, and their fathers and mothers before them. Prejudice, because you think that all of us with this ugly Mark," I rolled up my sleeve to make my point (no I was not chained to the chair like the rest, the Wizengamot didn't think me dangerous enough. How kind),"chose to take it. We did not, not all of us. Prejudice also, because you all believe that all that took this Mark are evil. Prejudice is my reason for my plea your honour."

"Prejudice? Hmmm, write that down. Now then Mr Malfoy, we shall begin with the prosecution. I call forth Dedalus Diggle."

It was that bouncy member of the Order. How annoying.

"We'll start from the beginning shall we Mr Malfoy? In the years leading up to your entry into Hogwarts, did you know of your father's true affiliation with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"No. My father is a good actor. All us Malfoys are."

"I see. Did you know during your time at Hogwarts that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would return?"

"Not at first no. However, by fourth year I was becoming more observant, making my own judgements. I had my assumptions about my father's allegiance and during the summer he kept rubbing his arm. I even overheard him saying to my mother that it was burning more and more, that it was getting darker, and that he was getting stronger. So by fourth year, I started to believe it more. And his name is Voldemort of the Dark Lord, and I would appreciate it if you used it." I added snarky.

"Mr Malfoy! Watch your mouth. Apologies Mr Diggle."

So much for this being Bouncy's moment. "Not to worry your honour, not to worry. Now then, Mr Malfoy. You say after a point you knew of Voldemort's return. At this point, did you have any inclination of joining?"

"No. I hated the idea of it."

"Yet you joined anyway?" He tried to say it neutrally, but there was an accusing tone in Bouncy's voice.

"No. I already said that I didn't take it willingly. I only took it because he threatened my mother's life if I didn't."

"Why didn't you ask for help from somebody? From Dumbledore? From the Order? From Severus Snape, your godfather, he was spy for Dumbledore, was he not? Couldn't he have helped you?"

"I couldn't. The Dark Lord wouldn't have found out and killed her."

"So you took the coward's way out?"

"Yes, I took the coward's way out. I had no other choice."

"You always had a choice Mr Malfoy. You chose your path." Bouncy was starting to get accusing and nasty, but before I could say anything, Shacklebolt interrupted.

"Mr Diggle that is enough! You have said quite enough on the topic, please move on or I will be forced to move the defence."

"Apologies your honour." I sat there smug. At least he had the decency to act embarrassed.

"Good. Move on."

"Of course. Mr Malfoy, you were given a task by Voldemort. Please tell the court specifically what that task was."

"To kill Albus Dumbledore." I said ashamedly.

"And you accepted?"

"I had. It was a way of proving myself. It was either that or kill my father."

"But you didn't?"

"No. I was never destined to. It was just a test to see how far I would go. Severus took the Unbreakable Vow with my mother so that he would do it instead if I failed. But he made one before that with Dumbledore to do it instead of me altogether."

"Did He know of these vows?"

"I don't think so, no."

"You don't _think_ so?"

"Well you know, me and my Lord were not exactly on friendly terms, let alone conversation terms." I replied with attitude, a smirk on my face.

"Ok. Moving on. You spent your next year at Hogwarts plotting." It was an unasked question.

"Not plotting no. Planning."

"What did you do?"

"In the Room of Requirement in the school there was one half a vanishing cabinet pair. I knew this because one of my fellow Slytherins, Graham Montague, had been put in there the year before, and had been stuck in limbo because it was broken. I'd seen the other half in Borgin and Burkes many times when my father had took me there to make some sort of business deal. I thought that if I could fix the cabinet, then the Death Eaters could get into the school. I spent the year fixing it whenever I could. There were times when He became impatient, and twice when I thought couldn't fix it, so I resorted to other measures. I cursed a necklace, and Imperiused Madame Rosmerta to give it a student, and Imperius them to give it to Dumbledore. Unfortunately, it fell into the hands of Katie Bell and she got hurt by it. My second attempt was poison a bottle of mead and Imperius Rosmerta to give it Slughorn, and tell him to give it to Dumbledore. Instead, it ingested by Ronald Weasley. It was never my intention to hurt anyone innocent."

"Yet it was your intention to hurt Dumbledore. Did you not class him as innocent?"

"Of course."

"You're contradicting yourself Mr Malfoy."

"You're twisting my words."

"Mr Malfoy, Mr Diggle is doing nothing of the sort. He is simply responding to what you say." Shacklebolt interrupted again.

"Then I won't answer anymore."

"May I defend my client your honour?" my lawyer, Paul Rockefeller, asked. He was the best lawyer in the country, and his firm, Rockefeller and Co, had represented the Malfoys for centuries.

"You may."

"Thank you. Your honour, members of the court, I ask you all, place yourself in my client's shoes. You are faced by Voldemort, demanding you join His side, or He murders the person you care for the most. You're surrounded by Death Eaters, so there is no means of escape. That person you care for is being held by two of them, with Voldemort's wand pointed at his or her heart. You're frightened, what would you do? Would you really stand up to Him? Or would you give in? You're then given a task to kill the most powerful wizard in the world. What do you do? Go through with it, or go for help? But if you go for help, who's to say you won't face said wizard's wrath? Who's to say He won't find out, and kill your most cared for, the people you love the most. You're trapped, with nowhere to go, and no one to turn to. What do you do? You do what you think is right by your family, that's what. For my client that meant going through with his task. None of us know what it was like to be in His presence, to feel pressured by him to do as he says or suffer the consequences. We're the lucky ones. My client was just a boy when he took the Mark, not yet seventeen, not yet an adult. Children make mistakes your honour, and I believe that should be taken into account." I was impressed. I had yet to use the company, but my father had used it many times and spoke on and on about how much of a good speaker Paul was. I know saw for myself what my father meant.

"Correct, they do make mistakes. But Mr Malfoy knew from that moment on exactly what he was doing. It was his choice to do what he did, he was never told how to carry through his task. By choosing what he did, he endangered the lives of a whole school, and nearly killed two of its students. That fact cannot be excused!"

"No it cannot. But my client was confused, he did not know what to do, which way to turn, who to talk to, who to trust. Place yourself in his shoes, what would you have done?"

"I would have gone to somebody for help, bugger the consequences!" Uh oh, Bouncy's getting angry. It was then that Shacklebolt decided to interrupt again. Shame that, a fight would have been funny to see.

"Mr Diggle, Mr Rockefeller, enough! This is not relevant. Please stay on task or I shall remove you from the case. One more outburst like that from you Mr Diggle and I will have you removed from not just the court, but from the Ministry. Move on."

"Apologies your honour."

"Apologies. Now then, Mr Malfoy, after the untimely death of Albus Dumbledore, you returned to your home in Wiltshire where Voldemort was currently residing. Over the course of that summer you took part in many raids and missions, including the torture of Thorfin Rowle. Is this information correct?"

"Yes. But Rowle got what was coming to him. He was a nasty bastard. The Kiss is tame compared to what he should get."

"Mr Malfoy, please refrain from swearing. So you admit to use of the Cruciatus Curse?"

"Yes."

"Your honour, if I may, this torture was done under orders from Voldemort, in His presence. My client had no choice."

"Very well Mr Rockefeller. Move on Mr Diggle please."

"September comes around. Did you go back to school?"

"I did."

"Did you participate in the torture of fellow students?"

"Under the orders of the Carrows, yes." This was starting to get tedious now. Besides, he was trying to make me look bad, making me confess to crimes I wanted no part in.

"You returned home during the Easter holidays, a few days before the Battle. Did you take part in any illegal activities whilst you were there?"

I had to laugh at this. "You make it sound as though I was on drugs. Illegal activities…"

"Mr Malfoy, please answer the question." Shacklebolt again.

"No, I did not. My parents and I were seeking refuge with the Dark Lord in our home. After our failures, as he liked to call them, we had lost much influence. My Aunt Bellatrix practically ran the home."

"Ah yes, the deceased Bellatrix Lestrange. We have it on record that she claimed you were an 'excellent student' when it came to learning the Dark Arts and Occlumency."

"I had to be. Not only did I have to save face and the family name, but my pride needed to also remain intact. It also helped the fact that she was the best one out of us all when it came to the Cruciatus, second only to the Dark Lord Himself."

"Nevertheless, you learnt and practiced well, mastering all the spells."

"Your honour, my client only did so as a way to protect himself." Paul interrupted.

Kingsley raised an eyebrow, no expression showing. I had to credit him that, he had a damn good poker face. "Care to elaborate Mr Malfoy?"

"The Death Eaters were all skilled in different spells and curses, as well as making certain potions. Normal defensive, legal spells were of no use to you if you were to protect yourself from them. By this point, I was already planning to leave, to run away and seek help. If I was to do so, I had to be able to protect myself. Hence learning all the spells. By my choice, they were only going to be used as defence. However, they were unfortunately used for torture, not through my choice."

"Are you telling us the truth Mr Malfoy? Do you swear it?"

Duh. "I'm under Veritaserum, I can't exactly lie." I knew I shouldn't really talk to the Minister, the man deciding my fate, like that, but he was starting to irritate me.

"Very well. Mr Diggle, please continue."

"Of course. During Easter, Snatchers bought four people to your home, to reside with the two prisoners you already had, Mr Garrick Ollivander and Miss Luna Lovegood. These four people were Mr Dean Thomas, Mr Ronald Weasley, Miss Hermione Granger, and Mr Harry Potter, along with a goblin, Griphook." Bouncy paused as he started to pace. I stared at him, carefully hiding my amazement as to why he would decide to tell me the names of people I knew very well, especially when I had been there when they had been bought in. "Did you, or did you not, participate in the torture of these people?"

"First of all, Potter, Weasley, Thomas and the goblin were not tortured. Second, Ollivander and Lovegood were bought in after I had returned to the school, Lovegood being taken off the train as we were going back. The only person I saw get tortured, notice I say 'saw', and not 'participated', was Granger."

"So why didn't you stop it?"

"As I'm sure you know, the person doing the torturing was my psychotic Aunt. Would you have wanted to get in the way?"

"You are not at liberty to ask questions, _Mr_ _Malfoy_." Bouncy replied, quite nastily. Ooh, he was really starting to piss me off now. If I had my wand, I would've hexed him to oblivion, be damned the consequences.

"Your honour, I do not appreciate the tone at which Mr Diggle is addressing my client. It is unwarranted." Phil spoke up again.

"You're right Mr Rockefeller. Mr Diggle, I have warned you a sufficient amount of times to be careful with how you speak to Mr Malfoy. You are hereby removed from the case, and the trial is suspended. We shall reconvene tomorrow morning at 08:00 sharp." Shacklebolt swept from the room similar to how Severus used to sweep from a room. Bouncy just stood there, dumbfounded. Ha! Should've done as he was told then, shouldn't he. Suddenly, I felt hands on my arms, and realised I was being removed from the court. Oh well, back to Azkaban for the night.

xxxxx

I sat in my cell and heard the waves crash against the walls. All Death Eaters were put on the top two floors, for many reasons. One, it was coldest up here. Two, it was furthest away from other prisoners. Three, if any tried to escape out the window, the drop into the sea would kill them instantly. The more dangerous the Death Eater, or the more likely it was they would escape, the higher up they went. I was on the first floor down from the top. My cell was cold, dim and bare. The only thing in it was a tiny window, just big enough for a small human to squeeze through, but too high for them too reach.

Now don't get me wrong, I like my solitude, but that cell was just taking the piss. I like my comforts. But I suppose the Malfoy name meant nothing back then. Oh well. I still had my pride.

It was at that point that my inner musings were interrupted by one of the guards (not Dementors, they couldn't be trusted anymore if their allegiances changed so quickly). "Prisoner 025549, you have a visitor."

There he goes again with the lack of a name. "I've told you, my name is Draco Malfoy. I would appreciate it if you used it."

"And I've told you, you lost your right to a name when you got bought in here, so shut up you pumped up little brat."

I was just about to retort when he stepped aside and Paul walked in. "Don't rise to it Draco. You'll only get yourself into more shit. You can leave now, thank you." He directed this last sentence to the guard, who thankfully left us alone.

"I don't care Paul. I fucking hate him. If I was allowed my wand, I'd hex his balls off. And fucking Bouncy earlier." I was pissed, could you tell?

"And that is exactly why prisoners don't have their wands on them. Bouncy?" He slid down on the floor opposite to where I had resumed my earlier position.

"Yeah, that Diggle guy from the Order."

Paul laughed. "I see why you call him Bouncy. Speaking of the trial, they've found another prosecutor: Andy Cartwright."

"Shit." Andy Cartwright was only the best prosecutor in the whole of the world. Nobody he dealt with got off Scott-free. I was doomed.

"Don't worry Draco. He doesn't have much questioning to do, most of it was done today. Besides, I have hit back and found you a witness for your defence. Or, should that be, they found me."

"Really, who?"

"Now that would be telling. Just trust me Draco, you won't go down." With that, he got up and left. Who was this witness? What would Cartwright be like? The thoughts plagued me into my sleep that night.

xxxxx

"Good morning all. On this day, Thursday 11th June 1998, we are here at day two of the trial of one Draco Lucius Malfoy for charges previously stated. Questioning will resume with a new prosecutor. I call forth Andy Cartwright."

Cartwright stepped forward. He was a tall stocky man, of near six feet. Clean Shaven and well spoken, Cartwright had such a way with words, and such an intimidating demeanour, that only the hardiest of criminals didn't crack. Fortunately, I didn't have to be hardy, I just had to be a good actor and retain my mask. "Mr Malfoy, continuing from where my colleague left off yesterday, we'll journey back to the Battle. When it became clear Mr Potter and his friends had entered the school, did you respond to Voldemort's call?"

"I had no choice."

"What did he tell you to do?"

"He told me to enter the school. I had many allies in Slytherin, I was told to round them up."

"Did you do as you were told?"

"No. When I arrived, most if not all of the Slytherins were on their way to being evacuated. I found Crabbe and Goyle and told them to come with me."

"Why was that?"

"I had overheard the Dark Lord mentioning Horcruxes to Severus earlier on in the year. He mentioned a diadem. I researched what I could on Horcruxes, and remembered that during my previous year at the school, whilst in the Room of Requirement, I had seen a diadem, more specifically the lost diadem of Ravenclaw, in there. I thought that if I could find it and return it to Him, my parents and I would be in His good graces again and be in less danger."

"So it was all a ploy to save your own skin?"

"Mine and my families, yes."

"So you were willing to stand up for yourself, for what was right, during the Battle, but couldn't stand up for yourself a year earlier when given the Mark?"

"That was different." I answered through gritted teeth.

"Really? I don't see how personally. Surely, risking your life during the Battle was even more stupid than risking your life in your own home? Unless, of course, it was all a plot, a last-ditched attempt to keep your arse out of Azkaban. Change side last minute did you? Self-preservation and all that?"

"No."

"Come now Mr Malfoy. I was a Slytherin. I know that two of the main personality traits for a Slytherin are self-preservation and self-interest. Even if it means changing allegiance last minute."

"No! It was not like that at all!"

"We'll let the jury decide that, shall we?" he shouted back. "Moving on. In the Room of Requirement, you met Mr Potter and Miss Granger, did you not?"

"Initially yes. A short duel occurred until Weasley arrived."

"And after Mr Weasley arrived, Vincent Crabbe used Fiendfyre to set the Room alight. I have a quote from your friend, Mr Gregory Goyle, which says you said, and I quote: 'get out of the way, let me through, I need to get out of here'. If that's not self-preservation, I don't know what is. Face it Mr Malfoy, you are self-centred, spoilt little brat who only cares about what's in it for him. What's more, you a coward…"

"Your honour! Are you going to allow Mr Cartwright to talk to my client like that?" Thank Merlin for Paul interrupting, or I would've said something…again.

"I certainly am not. Mr Cartwright, control yourself. My apologies Mr Malfoy, it seems what you said yesterday about prejudice may be right, as _some people_ cannot refrain from displaying it, even in a court of law."

I had to smirk. Shacklebolt was going to go far. In response to him, I simply nodded.

Cartwright continued. "Apologies your honour. Mr Potter saved you from the fire, yet you didn't thank him. You ran."

"I did. I wanted to get as far away from there as possible."

"Understandable, I will admit. When Voldemort called back His Death Eaters, did you respond to the call?"

"No. I stayed at the school."

"Did you help heal anyone?"

"No."

"Did you help to try and clear up?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I was hated by everyone."

"So why did you stay at the school?"

"Because being hated is better than going to a place where I could die."

"What about your parents? Did you not wonder about them? Did you not care?"

"Of course I cared, and don't you ever say I didn't, or don't! And of course I wondered about them. I had not seen them at all since we left the Manor, I didn't know whether they were alive or dead. I didn't go back because I was scared."

"Scared of what, Mr Malfoy?" Shacklebolt asked.

"Scared I would find them dead your honour. My parents were all I had left. If they were dead, I wanted to deny it as much as possible, for as long as I could. Surely you understand that?"

"I do Mr Malfoy, I do. Mr Cartwright, please continue."

"When Mr Potter faked his own death, and he was bought to the school, you answered Voldemort's call and went over to his side. Why?"

"Because like everybody else, I believed Potter to be dead. The Dark Lord was now in charge in my eyes. If He had managed to kill Potter, the most powerful wizard in the world now, who was to say he wouldn't kill me if I refused him? I was scared. And may I correct you? It wasn't the Dark Lord's beckons I answered, it was my parents. They were alive, and I went to them, to spend what may have been our last few hours together."

"You're quite the sentimental, aren't you Mr Malfoy?"

"My family means everything to me."

"Even Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"Lestrange has never been family to me, never. No family member of mine tortures my fellow student's parents into insanity."

"You have disowned your Aunt then?"

"I did years ago."

"Mr Malfoy, I can't help but notice the way you address your former leader when talking about Him. Only true Death Eaters address Him as 'the Dark Lord'…" He left that open on a purpose.

"It's habit. When you're surrounded by Death Eaters, you start to talk like them. After a while, it becomes natural."

"Hmm, I'm sure. Moving on. When Mr Potter revealed himself to be alive, and battle resumed, what did you do?"

"I ran back into the school. I started defending members of the Order, especially members of the Weasley family. I had just seen Rookwood kill Fred Weasley. No matter what I used to say to that family, I couldn't help but notice, and be impressed at how tight knit they were. I spent most of that battle defending George Weasley. It was the least I could seeing as how one from my side had murdered his twin."

"That it contradictory to what I have here Mr Malfoy. I have a quote stating that you tried to convince a Death Eater you were on his side."

"That was before Voldemort, noticed I actually said his name, restarted the battle."

"I see. Your honour, I have no further questions."

"Thank you Mr Cartwright. We will take a short break, then the trial shall resume." The Wizengamot left at that moment. I hoped this was where Paul would bring in his witness.

xxxxx

"Welcome back all of you. Mr Rockefeller, it is time for the defence." Shacklebolt resumed.

"Thank you your honour. For my defence, I have called a witness." I watched as he winked at me, before turning and staring Cartwright straight in the eye. "I call forth witness for the defence, Mr Harry James Potter." What? Potter? Potter was here to defend me? Why? I barely noticed with glee that Cartwright had gone an interesting shade of green. Why was Potter here to defend me? He hated me? Didn't he?

Potter stepped up to the witness box and waited, never once taking his eyes off mine. He displayed no emotions, but in his eyes I saw it. Two words. _Trust me_.

"Please tell us your full name."

"Harry James Potter."

"Mr Potter, do you consent to the use of Veritaserum in your questioning?"

"I do." Paul paced him the small vial and he knocked it back. After a couple of minutes, Paul spoke again.

"Mr Potter, do you promise to tell the Wizengamot everything you know?"

"I do."

"Good. Your honour, if there are any other questions to be asked before I start my questioning, I would like them to be asked now."

"Of course Mr Rockefeller. Are there any questions in the court?"

Cartwright, of course, spoke up. "One your honour." At Shacklebolt's nod, he said, "Mr Potter, its common knowledge you and Mr Malfoy were school enemies, and are still enemies now. Why do you want to defend him?" Well shit, Cartwright actually asked a decent question.

"First of all, Mr Cartwright, I would just like to point out that, in my eyes at least, Draco is no longer an enemy. I'm sure also that He no longer sees me as an enemy either. Besides, we were hardly enemies. Voldemort was my enemy. What Draco and I had was school rivalry. We've outgrown it now. As for why I'm defending him, well Mr Cartwright, that's obvious. Draco is not guilty of any of the charges made against him and should not be treated like a criminal. In fact, he should be treated with the same amount of respect you expect him to treat you. I think you'll find that if you do, he'll behave much better." Ha! Serves him right. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Potter was right. I wasn't a criminal. I didn't do anything wrong. And he was also right about the respect. I only give it to people who give it me. That's not snobbery, before you say anything, that's just common courtesy.

Paul stepped in. "Thank you Mr Cartwright. Anybody else? No? Good. Now then, Mr Potter, I shall ask you similar questions to those asked by both Mr Diggle and Mr Cartwright. From the beginning, taking into account that you were raised in a Muggle family with no inclination of the life you should have lived, once you began to learn more about the Wizarding world, did you suspect Mr Malfoy would become a Death Eater?"

"No, of course not. I didn't even know Voldemort had been to the school until second year."

"Did you suspect Mr Malfoy's father of being a Death Eater at all in your early years at Hogwarts?"

"Yes. By the end of my second year, I knew. Nobody who wasn't would have been in possession of such a diary as he was, let alone a Horcrux to boot."

"Of course. As the years went on, and you started to become more aware of just who Voldemort was, and who his Death Eaters were, especially after your fourth year in the graveyard, did you think my client would become a Death Eater then?"

"No, and before you ask, not the year after either. When I realised he had taken the Mark in our sixth year, I was shocked. Draco, or so I believed at the time, didn't have it in him to be a Death Eater. He had never come across as the kind of person who would be one. Any fight we had, Crabbe and Goyle were always there. He never stood out on his own. He was always a bit of a coward…"

"Hey!" I shouted, before he could continue. All eyes turned on me, but I didn't care. How dare Potter call me a coward! I stared straight into Potter's eyes and saw an apology in them. An apology in those bright green eyes.

"Mr Malfoy, please refrain from speaking, thank you. Apologies Mr Potter, please continue." Shacklebolt interrupted, yet again. Bastard.

"Thank you your honour. Draco had every right to though, I have just insulted not only his pride, but his honour, even if it was the truth. But yes, anyway, he was always a coward, that was clear in our first year."

"What made you realise Mr Malfoy had taken the Mark Mr Potter?"

"Me and my friends, Ron and Hermione, we were out at Diagon alley with Ron's family the summer before sixth year when we saw Draco and his mother, Narcissa in Madam Malkins. Draco was getting fitted for his new robes, and he was very tetchy about his left arm. Later, we saw he had ditched his mother ad was acting very suspicious, so we followed him."

"'We' being yourself, Miss Granger and Mr Weasley?"

"Yes. We followed Draco into Knockturn Alley, where he went into Borgin and Burkes. We couldn't fully hear what was being said, but he was asking the shop owner, Borgin, to keep something. He stepped forward out of sight and threatened Borgin with 'a friend'. Borgin visibly paled, we could see that even from outside the shop. It was then that I realised he had taken it, but Ron and Hermione wouldn't believe me. I decided to prove them wrong. Whilst on the train to Hogwarts, I snuck into the Slytherin carriage under my invisibility cloak and heard every word Draco said. He said, and to use his precise words, 'maybe he doesn't care if I'm qualified. Maybe the job he wants me to do isn't something that you need to be qualified for.'" Harry paused for breath, and Paul took the time to speak again.

"Excuse me Mr Potter, may I interrupt? Thank you. Mr Malfoy, just to confirm, were those indeed your words?"

"My exact words, yes." So Potter had followed me into Knockturn then, had he? I thought he did. I had felt eyes on me in the shop, but couldn't see anyone. I thought it had been him.

"Thank you. Mr Potter, you saw my client in Knockturn Alley, then in the train to Hogwarts, and confirmed your suspicions, but they didn't confirm Miss Granger's or Mr Weasley's. What did you do to try and convince them?"

Potter took a deep breath before he stared me in the eyes and answered. "I spent most of the year following Draco." What? He did what?!

"Why?"

"I wanted evidence. I noticed he kept disappearing off my Marauder's map, so I decided to follow him, but I could never find him. Then, one day, I found him in an abandoned bathroom. I took the chance to question him about it, and he hexed me. Nobody who wasn't guilty would have gave the reaction he did, even if we weren't rivals." Why didn't he mention that I was, shamefully, crying? Why didn't he mention the fact I was going to use Crucio on him? Why?

"What about the night Albus Dumbledore died, please tell us about that."

Harry sighed, but answered anyway. "We returned from getting what we thought was a Horcrux to find the Dark Mark over the school. We flew up to the Astronomy Tower, and Dumbledore sent me to get Snape. Before I could though, we heard footsteps on the stairs. Before I knew what was happening, I was trapped under my cloak, frozen solid and silenced. Draco stepped out and disarmed Dumbledore. He started telling Dumbledore about his task, and how scared he was. Dumbledore offered Draco and his family safety from the War. Draco lowered his wand completely, and I think was going to accept the help when there were more footsteps and more Death Eaters arrived: Lestrange, Greyback, the Carrows and Rowle. Draco raised his wand again before they arrived. Lestrange kept pushing Draco to do it, but Snape arrived instead. Snape killed Dumbledore and they ran. I chased after them as soon as I could and saw as Draco was apparated away with Lestrange." Wait a minute? Potter just lied. I didn't lower my wand completely, only by a fraction. How the hell was he lying, he was under Veritaserum, he _couldn't_ lie?

"Can anybody back up your story Mr Potter?"

"No, only Draco can."

"Mr Malfoy, is what Mr Potter is saying true?"

"Yes." I replied, deciding to go along with it. You see, after Paul had turned his back to address me, and all eyes were on me, Potter winked at me, very quickly, as though to say, '_go along with it_'.

"Very well." Paul began to pace a little. "Mr Potter, we shall skip straight to the Battle, and the time in the Room of Requirement. When you saw Mr Malfoy in there, when he confronted you, what did you think?"

"It's not so much what I thought, it's what I saw. I saw a boy who had come into the room for a different reason, but had be coerced into finding Potter by Crabbe. I saw a puppet." I was in shock? Am I really that transparent? How could he see that so easily? Could Weasley and Granger see that too?

"What about when the fire began?"

"When I rescued him? I saw a boy who was scared for his life, like you would expect. But I also a boy who was lost, who didn't know what to do for the best." Not that I didn't appreciate the help and defence, but Potter was starting to make me look like a right wimp.

"Thank You Mr Potter. Is there anything else you would like to say?"

Potter nodded. "Yes. Think very carefully when you all make your vote. I know what it is like to live a life where everybody expects things from you. I'm still living it. Draco did what was expected of him, but it was what he thought was right. In retrospect, looking back, it probably wasn't the right decision, but in the moment, it was. We've all made mistakes, we've all done things that, looking back, we regret. Yet, we don't get punished for it, no matter how big that mistake was. Take that into account. Also take into account, something which should have been done for Lucius and Narcissa also," he said the last bit with such accusation and such hatred, everybody in the room look downcast, "that hours before Voldemort's death, albeit only a few hours but still, that whole family defected to our side. At the end, they were on our side, and we do not punish people on our side. Thank you." It was at that moment that I realised just how much of a speech maker Potter was. Though, after that, I suppose I should start calling him Harry. He calls me Draco after all.

"Thank you Mr Potter. No more questions your honour."

"Thank you Mr Rockefeller. Trial suspended. We shall reconvene tomorrow at the same time for your verdict Mr Malfoy."

Great, another night in the cells.

xxxxx

I had another visitor that night. But it wasn't Paul this time. "Potter?"

He stepped in as the guard left, eager to please the famous Boy-Who-Just-Won't-Die. "Hi. I had a feeling you'd want answers."

"Damn right I do. Sit." I ordered.

He sat opposite me. "What do you want to know?"

"Why? Why would you defend me?"

"Because I meant it all Draco. You're not a criminal, and you deserve to be free."

"But why? We're rivals."

He chuckled at this. "We're not Draco, we're so very not. You were watching me, you saw the truth in my eyes when I said I didn't consider you a rival anymore."

"Yet you still hate me." I stated matter-of-factly, and quite embarrassedly all of a sudden.

"No, I don't. I actually want to get to know you, be your friend."

"Bit rich coming from you, isn't it?" I sneered.

"I'm sorry about that, I didn't know any different. I want to make up for it, please?" He stretched his hand out to me in a silent peace offering. I took it.

"If I get out of here, maybe."

"You will. Being famous has its perks."

"You have not leaned on the jury to get it to go your way, please tell me you haven't."

He laughed at this. "No, I haven't. I simply mean that because of who I am, my appearance at your trial will put a lot of influence on the result. I'm telling the truth, I promise."

That's a thought. "Speaking of the truth, Potter…"

"Harry."

"What?"

"Call me Harry."

"Ok, Harry, speaking of the truth, you lied in the court. You said I lowered my wand completely when I didn't, I only lowered it an inch. Why did you lie, and more importantly, how, when you were under Veritaserum? Also, how did you get away with not mentioning the fact I was crying, or that I tried to Crucio you in the bathroom?"

He laughed again." Answer to the last question. There was a loophole. They never asked me what you were doing in the bathroom, and they never asked me specifically about the duel we had, therefore I didn't need to answer, or feel the need to tell them. Yes, I lied. As for how? Like Imperio, I can throw off the effects of Veritaserum."

"Seriously?" Now that was impressive.

"Yep."

"Wow. So you'd be brilliant if you were kidnapped then. You couldn't be Imperiused to tell the truth, and you couldn't be given a potion and be forced either."

He smirked. "Basically yeah. Although, I don't plan on getting kidnapped anytime soon." I had to laugh a bit myself at this too.

When I had calmed down, I looked him in the eyes. "Hallowed be thy name Harry. Thank you."

He smiled. "Don't mention it." He stood up. "My time's up, I have to go. I'll be at the trial again tomorrow. See you after for a drink, catch up?"

"There's no telling whether I'll be free yet."

"Oh you will be. I'll see you tomorrow Draco." He held his hand out again and I shook it, then he left. I stared after him. Hallowed be thy name indeed.

xxxxx

Friday 12th June, 1998. Judgement Day. I sat in my chair, in the middle of the room, awaiting my fate. Shacklebolt was yet to arrive, so there was a lot of noise in the room. I looked to the public gallery and saw Harry sat there, Granger on his left, Weasley on his right. He smiled and nodded at me and I smiled and nodded back. Granger gave me a small smile, which I returned. Even Weasley gave a curt nod, which I gave back. The silence fell as Shacklebolt came in. I turned my gaze back to him as he sat.

"Friday 12th June 1998, day of verdict for one Draco Lucius Malfoy. Mr Malfoy, you pleaded non-guilty to the following charges: murder, intent to murder, torture, intent to torture, theft, supporting He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, allowing Death Eaters into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, conspiring to kill one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, aiding and abetting in the murder of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, and being a Death Eater. Is this still your plea?"

"It is."

"Very well. Mr Draco, Lucius Malfoy, the Wizengamot had found you…not guilty. You are cleared of all charges, and free to leave. Thank you." My verdict was met with a mixed response. There were many boos, but amongst the noise that had once again erupted, there were a few cheers. I breathed a deep sigh of relief and hung my head for a moment, before I was told to leave. I stepped shakily out of the courtroom, and was met by Harry.

"Told you." He said cheekily.

I chuckled. "Of course. Where are Weasley and Granger? I want to apologise to them for my behaviour over the years."

"They've gone. But don't worry, they heard your apology. We've been at your trial every day, and we all heard you apology. We've all forgiven you too. Now, how about that drink?" He smiled and stepped away, hesitating for a moment to indicate I should follow him, before walking away. I stood for a second, shook my head fondly, and followed him.

**How was it? It's given me some ideas while writing, so it's done its job. I'll try and update SLTS as soon as I can. :)**

**xxxxx**


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